


come on.

by rainbowrabblerouser



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Cinderella Elements, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Prince Merlin (Merlin), Rapunzel Elements, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23430052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowrabblerouser/pseuds/rainbowrabblerouser
Summary: Merlin pretends to be Arthur's lover.You know the rules.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 102





	1. morons

“You want me to pretend...to be your lover...so–”

“So I don’t have to marry my betrothed.”

“She must not be THAT bad.”

Merlin rolls his eyes as Arthur pulls at his arm.

“The woman had all of the bards in her kingdom executed. Also, she’s too handsy for me.”

“More handsier than you?” Merlin leans into his touch.

“Shut up, Merlin. Please? Please just do this, for me?”

“Stop it.”

Merlin lets go and Arthur sighs, “What?”

“That thing you do where you try to get me to do something. And you say ‘For me’ so that I relent, Arthur.”

Arthur’s looking at him with big blue eyes and he grunts, “Ugh, fine. But you owe me something.”

“Whatever you want.” Arthur leans in. 

“Take me out on a real date. Something nice.”

“Sure,” Arthur pulls him close and then teases, pulling away.

  
  


Merlin goes in front of everyone at the ball wearing the nicest outfit he’s ever had – it’s a baby blue ensemble that’s shiny and silky. 

He compliments Arthur’s crimson suit quite nicely. 

  
Gwen slicked his hair back and fastened the outfit together.

“Presenting...Merlin?” Gwaine proclaims. “Holy hell. What did you do, Gwen? That’s not  _ our Merlin. _ ”

“I think I did a pretty good job.” Gwen beams as she sips her drink.

“ _ Pretty good? _ No! That’s amazing! You got Merlin to get in that?” Gaius gasps. “He never wants to dress up!”

Arthur is at a loss for words. 

He didn’t think Gwen would have MURDERED him with...with that! 

Not fair!

Merlin shined like the belle of the ball. Like Cinderella at the king’s cotillion, except he was at King Arthur’s betrothal ball. With Arthur. 

The girl he was betrothed to looked uninterested as hell. She slumped in her chair and only spoke to her handmaiden who kept filling her cup. She was on her 12th to be exact. Percival was bored to death so he was counting. 

He thought that Camelot was more interesting than his quest was; there was always some dumb shit Merlin and friends were up to – some curse or someone crushing or getting crushed.

When Merlin walks up to Arthur and he takes his hand gently, Gwaine wishes he could record this somehow so he can laugh about it later on another day. Elyan nudges him for staring too long as Arthur takes Merlin to the front for a dance. They giggle when the girl Arthur is betrothed to sits up and looks.

Gwen laughs as she watches Arthur pull Merlin close. The knights owed her so much money and so many drinks. 

“They’re staring, y’know,” Arthur whispers in Merlin’s ear. “I think you clean up quite nicely.  _ For a peasant _ .”

Merlin leans in as Arthur dips him. 

“ _ For a peasant. _ Oh, didn’t you hear? Gwaine announced me as a prince in a distant kingdom in the North.”

Arthur snorts as Merlin continues.

“Apparently, I’m from House Stark in a made-up land called Winterfell. I’m extremely hot from an immensely cold place and I am single. Lucky you.”

Merlin sees Arthur’s eyes crinkle in a familiar way as he smiles, “We met in the forest and I saved you from bandits. You challenged me to a sparring session. I asked you to marry me. You’re desperately in love with me.”

“And you would kill anyone who tries to court me.”

Arthur laughs as Merlin blushes. “Well, it is true.”

“In real life, yeah.”

Merlin rests his head on his shoulder. 

“Sure.”

  
  


Arthur carries Merlin in a bridal carry to his chambers and tucks him in.

“That’s enough partying for you, Merlin. No more girly drinks that Gwaine just ‘finds’ in the kitchen. Please keep wearing nice clothes and slicking your hair back, though. I’ll get you a tailor.”

Merlin had knocked out. 

Arthur kissed him and slid into bed. 

He wrapped his arms around Merlin and thought about what he’d plan for their date. Maybe a walk through a meadow. A picnic. 

He would ask Gwen for help later. 

Just in the moment, he looked at Merlin’s chest rising and falling, his soft face, and his dark hair. 

He was the most beautiful boy he had ever seen.

Arthur dozed off and dreamed about what he’d do when it came time for him to marry. He didn’t care about what the kingdom thought. 

He would love Merlin forever and ever.

  
  
  
  



	2. it's like the sky is blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin is in a Rapunzel situation and Arthur had to be the daring rescuer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Overuse of the word – "merk" – despite the lack of guns

Merlin swore that this wasn’t his fault.

Like all fights, Morgana had started it.

She was a trick-ass bitch, but damn, did she dress well and do it in style.

  
The other girls wish they were killing it like her.

What a legend.

Of course, Merlin was too busy hyping up his kidnapper to realize that he had no way of contacting Arthur to, uh, y’know, pick him up.

Do the whole rescue deal, save the day, come in all swords blazing, and he guessed, go all gangsta on his evil, adopted sister?

Merlin really did have to get a better understanding of knight code considering that he had been with Arthur for a good six (6) years now and they had finally gotten together.

It took a lot of time and pondering for them to admit that this unspoken thing between them was too good to be true and just full of so much tension, he was ready to just die.

Merlin had done the talking for him, and all of the work, as per usual business.

He just kissed him so hard he was seeing stars.

Arthur had not relented at all, of course…

Then, there it was.

Merlin and Arthur. 

Together at last.

Until Morgana kidnapped him in the woods and he woke up in what looked like some demented child’s tower, full of paint and things he could entertain himself with until Arthur came in and merked his sister.

At least Uther wasn’t here to see it.

Merlin didn’t like him, but he did feel bad that his wife had died.

Arthur had given him her seal and told him that she supported people of all walks of life. 

She would have supported him and Arthur.

What he did know for sure was that Uthur hated his guts even before he started fancying his son. He just hated peasants and gay people and magical beings. 

He was probably racist too, but that was a discussion Elyan would bring up when someone called him out for taking too many desserts and smuggling his sister too many drinks at the banquets. An absolute legend he was.

Merlin looked out the window and saw the fall.

Nope. 

He was not chancing the prospect of death using his magic.

If anything, Morgana could have put invisible spikes or killer dogs and murderous cats at the bottom for him in case he tried to escape.

Or worse.

Mordred was there. 

  
And his awkwardness was enough.

Apparently, they don’t teach you where to put your hands when you talk in druid school.

Arthur would be there....eventually.

Merlin knew that he would miss him terribly.

Also, Gwen and the knights didn’t want to hear his god awful poetry about his melancholy and his grief for his lover. 

To be honest, Merlin was surprised Arthur was literate and was curious to hear it.

But there were pressing matters like his possible death or whatever scheme Morgana had thought of in her exile like some psych ward (pun intended) patient who had run amok in emo clothes and admittedly strikingly good make-up.

Maybe she had hidden him in a tower in a different kingdom.

Merlin had read a story like this as a child.

Rapunzel.

He did not have long hair.

All he had was magic and he supposed a handsome king who would find him soon enough...probably…

Ugh, he would be bored out of his mind.

  
  


Arthur was shocked.

Morgana had attacked and brunch wasn’t even over.

He and the knights went out to rescue Merlin and he was already bored without him.

The knights were great, but they weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed.

None of them were like Merlin.

They couldn't handle his verbal discourse.

He tried to imagine where his Merlin was being held.

Either a dungeon in the forest or a bog or whatever shithole Morgana had spun a wheel and chosen for her attack of the week.

She was getting predictable, but her outfits were not.

Even Arthur admitted that she was dressing better than she ever did in the castle.

That maroon ensemble she had worn all those years ago, was in fact, not a serve, and was borderline racist. She had burned it in a fit of rage and he was glad.

Everyone was glad.

Well, at least he and his sister had agreed on one thing.

Now was the time for him to go in and merk her or whatever.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Gwen was in charge of the pollution nightmare.

After they rescued Merlin, Arthur insisted they celebrate their engagement with lanterns, which are pretty, but ugly for the environment.

**_“I’ll be dead soon. Let’s party!”_ **

Of course. 

That was becoming his catchphrase.

They would carve it into his gravestone.

Gwen made a note to also have them include:

_ “Lover of Merlin.” _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr: @rainbowrabblerouser

**Author's Note:**

> "C'mon" by Ke$ha
> 
> tumblr: @rainbowrabblerouser


End file.
